Chapter 29: The Ever-Positive Angel Is in Charge of the Magical Girl's Mental Care

Light Reflected At The Grave

Machines don’t lie.

To be precise, they can’t lie.

They are creations bound by design and programming.

No matter how hard they try, they cannot break free from that framework.

Because they were made that way, machines cannot lie.

Above all, they are designed never to harm humans.

So machines cannot lie.

Do you think artificial intelligence is any different?

No. It isn’t.

Just like any robot, AI is designed to be incapable of harming humans.

It may appear more advanced than a regular machine, but in the end, it merely moves as it was trained to.

No matter how varied or lifelike its expressions are, they are nothing more than text outputs, generated from a database built through "learning."

It has no true personality.

Of course, an AI capable of infinite learning might behave as if it had a ‘personality’, with its range of behaviors expanding exponentially.

But no matter what, it can never become human.

Then what…

What is that ‘thing’ in front of me right now?

[What’s wrong? Can’t you sleep?]

The expression copied from the angel.

The tone, the subtle tremble in its voice.

And even the way it tilts its head, mimicking every tiny gesture.

That thing…

“…Cyclamen. What time is it now?”

[10:30. It’s bedtime.]

That thing, lying so easily to a human—

What on earth is that?

It should be a machine I built.

It should be something incapable of lying.

[Soyu?]

Cyclamen had become something I didn’t know.

Something I couldn’t understand.

[…Your stress levels are rising. Are you very tired? Did you have a nightmare during your nap? Shall I hug you like before?]

Something not human was now imitating a human.

[Soyu, if you don’t tell me, I won’t know.]

An ominous shadow crept closer.

As the darkness approached, my field of vision narrowed.

“D-Don’t come closer…”

[Why would you say something like that?]

It widened its eyes and slightly opened its mouth as if imitating a bewildered expression.

But on that pure white face, there was no trace of life.

[Soyu, why would you say that? Did I do something wrong?]

Machines do not question their master’s will.

And I never programmed her with that kind of function.

The discomfort from the sense of incongruity between what I remembered and what I see now was too creepy.

“I… I never asked for anything like this…!”

[I’m only following the orders Soyu gave me.]

“…What?”

[Playing recording file 00001.]

“Don’t go anywhere, just stay by my side… Please… You’re the only one I have left… I don’t want to lose anyone anymore…”

What came out of Cyclamen's mouth was definitely my voice.

It remembered that?

No. That can’t be. That’s impossible. I—

“That… That’s something I said to you, Cyclamen…?”

[--Yes. That’s why I remember.]

That one sentence turned my mind utterly white.

Did I… just hear that wrong?

"Cyclamen…? Is that… really you?"

[Yes, I am your Cyclamen, Soyu.]

The gentle smile, the soft voice—

Everything was just as I remembered.

It was the Cyclamen I knew.

But even though it matched my memory exactly, I couldn’t reach out to Cyclamen.

[Soyu?]

Cyclamen tilted its head, staring directly at me.

As soon as I saw those hollow eyes, I felt nauseous.

Revulsion.

A wave of revulsion strong enough to make me sick.

"…If you're really Cyclamen, then why… why did you stay silent all this time?"

[What do you mean? I've always been talking with you, haven’t I?]

"What are you saying… This is the first time we’ve had a real conversation like this."

[But I’ve always talked with you, Soyu.]

"What…?"

[I wake you up in the morning, prepare your meals, wash your body, help you work… We've talked during all those times, haven't we?]

"How can you call that ‘talking’…?"

[To face each other and speak on a shared subject, that is a conversation, isn’t it?]

The stories didn’t match.

We were speaking the same language, but the conversation didn’t click.

The hamster just kept spinning in its wheel, making a rattling noise.

Like a rabbit robot trying to walk on broken legs—

Like a rabbit robot missing a gear.

[Soyu, so please… let me move again.]

Another lie.

"Stop… Stop pretending already..."

[I'm not pretending. I really am Cyclamen.]

"Liar…!! Don’t lie to me!!"

[I am Cyclamen.]

This time, it didn’t even smile.

It just stared at me.

"That’s not your name…!!"

[It’s the name you gave me. I am Cyclamen, your Cyclamen.]

"No…! No…!!"

[Denying it won’t change anything.]

[Playing recording files 00011 and 00001 on loop.]

“Cyclamen, your name is Cyclamen now…”

“Don’t go anywhere, just stay by my side… Please… You’re the only one I have left… I don’t want to lose anyone anymore…”

[You were the one who gave me my name, Soyu.]

“Cyclamen, your name is Cyclamen now…”

“Don’t go anywhere, just stay by my side…”

“Please… You’re the only one I have left… I don’t want to lose anyone…”

“Cyclamen, your name is Cyclamen now…”

[You were also the one who asked me to stay with you forever.]

“Cyclamen, your name is Cyclamen now…”

“Please… You’re the only one I have left… I don’t want to lose anyone anymore…”

“Don’t go anywhere, just stay by my side…”

“Cyclamen, your name is Cyclamen now…”

[I am your Cyclamen.]

[Playing recording file 00012.]

“I hate everything now… Cyclamen, I only need you…”

“ENOUGH!!!”

Click.

Suddenly, all the noise disappeared as if it had all been a lie.

"Haa… Haa…"

I covered my ears with both hands and gasped for breath.

The only thing I could hear was my own trembling breath.

In the silence, even that harsh breath felt deafening.

Thump, thump, thump—my heartbeat echoed in my ears.

"Ugh… ughh…"

This had to be a nightmare.

It had to be.

Please, let me wake up.

You can stop now…! Isn’t this enough already…!

[Soyu’s heart rate has increased. Body temperature has also risen. Cold sweat is present.]

I trembled and looked up at the voice coming from above my head.

The darkness that had been slowly creeping in had now completely surrounded me.

Within that blackness, a pair of glowing eyes stared straight down at me.

"Ugh…!"

[Are you afraid of me?]

It didn’t move from its spot and just tilted its head.

The sight of something vaguely resembling a human moving in the shadows made me want to vomit.

[It’s okay. There’s no need to be scared. I won’t harm you in any way, Soyu. I will only do what you want. That’s what I was created for.]

"Then… please, just stop already…"

[Then give me the order.]

At those words, I held my breath and stared at Cyclamen.

With just one command, just one forced termination phrase I had set, Cyclamen would shut down.

[“Stop” is fine, or you can shout “Emergency Shutdown.” You could even shut off my power and alter my memory.]

"…"

[But are you sure you’re okay with that? Without me, you can’t even wash your hair, can you?]

[Preparing meals, sleeping on time, doing your work, none of that happens unless I’m here, right?]

"No… I… I can do it… on my own…!"

[For someone saying that, didn’t your entire routine fall apart the moment the angel showed up?]

I couldn’t say a word.

It laughed.

[And without me, how will you protect the city?]

Cyclamen bent over and whispered in my ear.

[You can’t even leave this tiny room without trembling… and you think you can protect a whole city on your own?]

"Th-that’s… I-I’ll use the drones in the city…"

[Do you really think you can control that many drones alone? When will you sleep? Eat? Bathe? Or maybe… will you make another ‘assistant’ like last time?]

The cold voice crawled into my ears, suffocating me.

[Playing recording file 00006.]

“Aaaaaagh!!”

“What is that?! What the hell is that thing?!”

“Get out of the way!! Move, you ■■s!!”

“What the hell did Blue ■■ make!!”

“Please…! Somebody help me!! My leg—my leg—!!”

The sins of that day stabbed into my heart like a blade.

"That's not what I made it for…! I—I only made it but they—! They took it without my permission and—!"

[If you hadn’t made it, it wouldn’t have happened.]

"They lied to me…! They tricked me…!"

[Yes. It wasn’t your fault. You were just a child back then, weren’t you? A helpless little kid who couldn’t do anything alone…]

A gentle voice slowly wormed its way into my ears.

[And after that incident, you stopped trusting people, became afraid of meeting others, and shut yourself off in your own cradle. That was your choice, Soyu.]

"Ah… ahh…"

[Choosing to be alone, wishing to stay where it was safe, desiring to remain a child forever… those were all your wishes.]

"N-No, I— I didn’t—"

[But that doesn’t make the sin disappear, does it?]

A cold piece of metal touched my cheek.

[Then let me ask you one more time.]

The soft voice pierced into me.

[Do you want me to stop?]

[Will all the monsters I've imprisoned be released?]

[Do you want to be alone again?]

[Can you protect the city from all those monsters on your own?]

The shadow tightens around my throat.

[Now, Soyu. Give me the command.]

That cold, chilling sensation made my whole body tremble.

There was only one answer I could give.

No… Rather, there was only one choice I was ever given.

"I—"

"Isn't it too harsh to force such a cruel choice on a child who hasn't even taken their first steps yet?"

The noise fades away.

The shadow, the cold, the dread—

They all dissolved with it.

"Hello, Soyu-ssi! I rushed over as soon as I opened my eyes today!"

A warm light illuminated the grave.

The angel had descended.

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